Belal Muhammad received one of the most brutal eye pokes in UFC history. An unintentional eye poke from Leon Edwards concluded the bout via no contest after round two.
Muhammad and Edwards faced for a main Welterweight event last night at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Edwards returned to the octagon after a 600-day layoff. However, it did not go well for him as he unintentionally poked Belal’s right eye during round two.
Edwards showed an excellent open with a pair of nice body kicks in the beginning. He dominated from the starting of round one. However, Muhammad was slightly off last night; he threw few lands, a glancing elbow, and also tried a takedown. After a hugely extended layoff, Edwards’ return was impressive. It seemed he did not forget his ripping body kick. Hence, Rocky won round one over Muhammad.
Round two could not go further as the 29-year-old poked Belal Muhammad’s eye while punching his forehead. However, Remember the Name got his eye wounded brutally. His right eye became blind for a moment. The referee called for a brief halt after 18 seconds, which eventually ended as a draw via no contest. After the no contest announcement, Muhammad was rushed to the hospital.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 13: (L-R) Leon Edwards of Jamaica accidentally pokes the eye of Bulal Muhammad in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 13, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Belal Muhammad wants a rematch
Belal was brutally hurt, and his eye became puffy right after the poke. However, Belal confirmed, he has not suffered any permanent damage. He gave updates on Twitter and wrote, “My heart is shattered my first main event ended like that but Gods the best of planners im sorry to the fans and the @ufc you deserved a full fight.. Alhamdillah the vision is coming back and no permanent damage to the eye I’ll be back and want to run it back @Leon_edwardsmma.”
My heart is shattered my first main event ended like that but Gods the best of planners im sorry to the fans and the @ufc you deserved a full fight.. Alhamdillah the vision is coming back and no permanent damage to the eye I’ll be back and want to run it back @Leon_edwardsmma pic.twitter.com/5xsvhmZ5Uh
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) March 14, 2021
Since the poke was accidental and he is okay so far, the 32-year-old has no problem fighting again. However, Edwards apologies to Belal right away in the ring as well as in the post-fight interview. “I apologize to Belal, I didn’t mean to do it,” Edwards said in his post-fight interview. “I went for the crosshead kick, he stepped into it, and I really apologize. Would rather have lost than that. I’m just heartbroken. I don’t know what to say.”
The rematch will depend on Edwards’ confirmation as he did not show any interest in the rematch. Moreover, he wants a title bout with someone else.
